Charles Albert Whitcombe (21 September 1895 – 13 February 1978) was an English golfer. He was born in
Berrow, Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, the second of the three Whitcombe brothers who were all successful English
professional golfer
A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...
s in the 1920s and 1930s and – despite never winning
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
like his younger brother
Reg – could be considered the most prominent of the three, winning the
British PGA Matchplay Championship twice and captaining the
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...
side four times.
Career
Whitcombe finished fifth in
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
in 1922, three shots behind the winner and beaten only by
Walter Hagen
Walter Charles Hagen (December 21, 1892 – October 6, 1969) was an American professional golfer and a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of 11 professional Men's major golf championships, majors is third behin ...
,
Jim Barnes,
George Duncan and
Jock Hutchison – the players who between them had won 8 of the previous 9 major championships. Whitcombe would enjoy several other high finishes in the Championship, beaten by players including
Bobby Jones,
Gene Sarazen and
Henry Cotton, but only once again came as close to winning, in 1935, when he finished third, three shots behind
Alf Perry at
Muirfield.
Whitcombe won the
British PGA Matchplay Championship in 1928 and 1930, and also won the
Irish Open in 1930. Both of his Matchplay championship victories came in finals against a young
Henry Cotton, by 12 years Whitcombe's junior. In 1931, 1935, and 1937 Whitcombe was selected as playing captain of the Great Britain and Ireland
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...
side, having also played in every side from 1927 to 1933, and was then non-playing captain in 1949.
In 1937 Whitcombe was the first winner of the
Harry Vardon Trophy
The Harry Vardon Trophy is a golf award presented by the European Tour. Since 2009 it has been awarded to the winner of the Race to Dubai. Before then it was awarded to the winner of the "Order of Merit". From 1975 to 2008 the Order of Merit was ...
, which was presented to the player with the best average in the major stroke play events.
Tournament wins
*1921 West of England Professional Championship
*1924
Daily Mail Tournament
The Daily Mail Tournament was a professional golf tournament played in the United Kingdom. The ''Daily Mail'' sponsored the St Andrews Tournament in 1919 and in 1920 continued their sponsorship with the start of the Daily Mail Tournament. The even ...
, West of England Professional Championship
*1926
Yorkshire Evening News Tournament
*1927
Daily Dispatch Northern Professional Championship,
Glasgow Herald Tournament
The Glasgow Herald Tournament (also known as the Gleneagles Tournament) was a British golf tournament played at Gleneagles from 1920 to 1927. The 1920 event had prize money of £650, then the largest ever in a British tournament. From 1921 the p ...
, Porters Park Invitational Tournament
*1928
News of the World Match Play
The British PGA Matchplay Championship was a match play golf tournament that began in 1903 and ran until 1979. Between 1903 and 1969, the event was sponsored by the now defunct British newspaper the '' News of the World'', and was commonly known ...
,
Yorkshire Evening News Tournament
*1929 West of England Professional Championship
*1930
News of the World Match Play
The British PGA Matchplay Championship was a match play golf tournament that began in 1903 and ran until 1979. Between 1903 and 1969, the event was sponsored by the now defunct British newspaper the '' News of the World'', and was commonly known ...
,
Irish Open
*1933
Addington Foursomes (with
Cameron Anderson)
*1935
Dunlop-Southport Tournament
*1937
Southend Tournament
*1938
Silver King Tournament
*1939
Penfold Professional Golf League (tie with
Henry Cotton)
Results in major championships
''Note: Whitcombe never played in the
Masters Tournament
The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply the Masters, or as the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four men's major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week in April, the Masters is the ...
nor the
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. The PGA is one of the four men's major golf champi ...
.''
NT = No tournament
WD = withdrew
DQ = disqualified
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Team appearances
*
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...
(representing Great Britain):
1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...
,
1929
This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...
(winners),
1931
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Sir I ...
(captain),
1933
Events
January
* January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand.
* January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...
(winners),
1935
Events
January
* January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims.
* January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...
(captain),
1937
Events
January
* January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua.
* January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...
(captain),
1949
Events
January
* January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025
* January 2 – Luis ...
(non-playing captain)
*France–Great Britain Professional Match (representing Great Britain): 1929 (winners)
*
England–Scotland Professional Match (representing England): 1932 (winners), 1933 (winners), 1934 (winners), 1935 (winners), 1936 (winners), 1937 (winners), 1938 (winners)
*
England–Ireland Professional Match (representing England): 1933 (winners)
*Coronation Match (representing the Ladies and Professionals): 1937
References
*Alliss, Peter: "The Who's Who of Golf" (1983), Orbis Publishing Ltd.
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitcombe, Charles
English male golfers
Ryder Cup competitors for Europe
People from Burnham-on-Sea
1895 births
1978 deaths
20th-century English sportsmen